Grammys To Lure Viewers With Foo Fighting Violinists, Winehouse-Kanye Duet?

Grammy producers continue to pull out all the gimmicks, err, stops in an effort to bring viewers to their awards show. Like last year, the show will feature the winner of the "My Grammy Moment" contest. Unsigned instrumentalists are being recruited to enter this year's competition, with the winner getting the chance to play with the Foo Fighters during the February 10th ceremony (last year's victor got to sing a duet with Justin Timberlake). Leave your guitar, bass or drums at the door, though: the Grammys are seeking string, woodwind and brass players who can jam along with the Foos' "The Pretender." The entrants will be whittled down to forty-five quarter-finalists, with the grand-prize winner chosen by voters online. Because that's what the YouTube generation wants to see: forty-five French horn players performing for the opportunity to get lost in an orchestra at the Grammys.

In other, less oboe-centric news, there are rumors that Amy Winehouse will make a triumphant, hopefully sober return to the live stage by performing at the awards show. Winehouse, who had to cancel a tour back in September following a rehab stint, has been nominated for six awards, including Album of the Year and Song of the Year. But that's not all: To help keep the Winehouse train on the rail, there are rumors that her Grammy performance may feature collaborations with several other stars, including fellow Album of the Year nominee Kanye West.

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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